The Minnesota Vikings had a very precious opportunity to make the Super Bowl two years ago and had it slip away. Those opportunities don't come along very often.
The swings upward and downward can happen suddenly in the NFL. That's good for the league. It keeps fans everywhere thinking "this might be our year."
Does the acquisition of Donovan McNabb (in photo) have Vikings fans breaking into a chorus of that? There doesn't seem to be much grounds for excitement.
McNabb comes here in a restructured contract which means he's making concessions. Athletes who are truly eyeing a championship don't make concessions.
He had a five-year, $78 million contract in Washington, D.C. where he flamed out miserably. And now he's a year older. Doesn't look like any special sort of formula to me.
McNabb was the face of the Philadelphia Eagles in his prime. He played in five conference championship games and a Super Bowl.
He comes to Minnesota with a "name" and a resume. So did Dave Winfield when he came to the Minnesota Twins.
McNabb has been through the rigors of many NFL seasons.
At least he won't have to endure the rigors of playing in front of the Philadelphia fans anymore - the most rude and judgmental around. Now he's in the land of Minnesota Nice. But we can still boo if he plays the way he did in Washington last season.
Not even the genius of coach Mike Shanahan could keep McNabb's career going in a winning way.
Shanahan proved he could work and adjust with an aging quarterback when he coached John Elway in Denver.
Last fall in the nation's capital, the "facelift" represented by the McNabb acquisition was a failure. Shanahan benched him twice. The franchise gave up on him with three games left.
The low point was in a loss to Detroit - yes, those perennially sputtering Lions - in which McNabb was removed late in the game and the post-game explanation was humiliating. Explaining the move, Shanahan said McNabb "wasn't in good enough shape" to run the two-minute offense.
No, he wasn't hurt, he "wasn't in good enough shape."
Was the $78 million contract not good enough incentive?
Maybe Shanahan was just hinting that McNabb was getting too old. Well he's a year older now. He won't have Sidney Rice to throw to. Rice is off to Seattle to rejoin our old "quarterback of the future" Tarvaris Jackson and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Usually when a quarterback is drafted high - Jackson was taken in the second round which is reasonably high - the team gives him every chance to make it. Jackson ended up a contradiction. He seemed to be yanked much too readily. I ended up feeling sorry for him and wish him the best in Seattle.
The Vikings brought in an "old hand" name of Gus Frerotte. Then we had the Brett Favre chapter in Vikings (and texting) history. We could taste the Super Bowl. It might be the closest we'll get in a while.
Now we have a quarterback who spent the last three games last season standing on the sidelines (probably wearing a baseball cap) because he wasn't producing. This for a non-playoff team.
"Relationships broke down," a Washington linebacker was quoted saying.
That's what happens when you lose. McNabb's agent took public potshots at the team's leadership.
Now, McNabb coming here with a "restructured contract" reminds me of when Steve Carlton came to pitch for the Minnesota Twins. We'd love to close our eyes and imagine these guys playing like when they were in their prime.
Pro sports is in fact brutal and isn't very forgiving for aging athletes (sans performance-enhancing substances).
McNabb has been in the NFL for over a decade. Last year his numbers brought yawns: 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 13 games, a 58 percent completion rate, a 77.1 passer rating.
The Vikings now have two quarterbacks on opposite ends of the spectrum. First we drafted an anointed new quarterback in the first round, Christian Ponder out of Florida State.
Wow! New coach Leslie Frazier proclaimed he wanted to groom a young quarterback rather than go with questionable veterans.
Now the Vikings are in a common quandary. They'd like to go with the fascinating young guy but there are too many perils associated with inexperience. There are no guarantees with Ponder. The Vikings could lose and Ponder could be blemished by the experience.
But go with McNabb and it could be a repeat of what happened last year in Washington. Either way, losing means there would be boos cascading down from the stands.
Losing is a definite possibility with either quarterback.
There is no reason to believe Ponder would leapfrog past the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler or (if he's healthy) Matt Stafford in our division.
Unless Donovan McNabb can find some pill to take in order to revive some of his old physical resilience, we're looking at losing with that too.
A cynic might say McNabb was a "big name" acquisition that helps keep interest high, that it's not a serious move toward making the Super Bowl.
The Vikes need attention because the organization needs a new stadium. Maybe the new stadium is really the highest priority now. The NFL is nothing if not a money gathering monster.
Fans everywhere can envision their favorite team doing well when fall comes. This is what being a fan is all about.
I can't be absolutely certain what way the Vikings will go. But don't bet a lot of money on them.
This could be the start of a slide that could last years.
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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